Here’s How Regulations Unintentionally Ended the Era of Small Trucks in America

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      Despite America's fondness for pickup trucks, our options are surprisingly limited. Full-size trucks tend to be quite similar, the midsize category is rather sparse, and the compact segment is dominated by the Ford Maverick (rest in peace, Hyundai Santa Cruz). There was a time when a variety of small pickups filled the U.S. market, fostering a dedicated enthusiast community.

      What changed? America has an affinity for small items just as much as for larger ones. Just check out your local slider restaurant for evidence. While there isn't a single explanation, Editor-in-Chief Kyle Cheromcha points out that it's not solely the fault of truck buyers.

      One major factor? The infamous Chicken Tax. Ask any American automotive executive about this six-decade-old policy and watch them squirm.

      This tariff was implemented to safeguard American producers from being undercut by inexpensive trucks from Volkswagen, which was encroaching upon the U.S. market in the 1960s. However, it wasn't entirely effective, largely due to the "chassis cab" loophole, allowing vehicles to be imported without their cargo beds. Since their final assembly took place in the United States, they escaped additional import duties.

      This loophole led to a surge of small replicas of globally manufactured trucks being marketed under both domestic and foreign brands during the 1960s and early 1970s. Eventually, Toyota and Nissan established manufacturing operations in the U.S., and by the 1980s, they were transitioning from merely gaining a foothold to producing the types of trucks Americans favored from Detroit. By the 1990s, both companies were offering midsize body-on-frame pickups (including the Tundra, which was slightly smaller than its larger U.S. counterparts); by the 2000s, both had ventured into the true half-ton market.

      The 2000s proved crucial for the future of small trucks. As Japanese automakers solidified even larger manufacturing presences in the U.S. and shifted to bigger, more profitable (and yes, more popular) models, the entire segment moved away from genuinely compact pickups. The Great Recession of 2008, along with the accompanying changes to CAFE regulations, shaped the market landscape we witness today.

      The Subaru “Brataroo” 9500 Turbo from Gymkhana Aussie Shred was inspired by the Brat, which circumvented the Chicken Tax with jump seats in the bed. –Hoonigan

      In the wake of 2008, not only was a stricter emissions framework introduced, but the method of calculating fleet-wide fuel economy by the EPA was revised. This was termed the "footprint model," a complex formula that classifies vehicles based on various factors, including physical dimensions, tire size, and track width.

      The precise calculations are less crucial than their impact on the truck market. Instead of categorizing vehicles by their design and intent, the new regulation emphasized their size. Smaller vehicles faced higher fuel economy targets.

      In a way, this makes some sense; smaller cars should aim for higher efficiency, while larger ones are expected to be less so. However, stepping back reveals that this actually incentivizes manufacturers to produce larger vehicles. The bigger they are, the lower their efficiency requirements. Larger vehicles can accommodate bigger engines; larger engines can move heftier cars; and bigger cars yield greater profit margins. Combined with the economic recovery over the past decade and a half, this cycle has significantly contributed to the undeniable increase in car sizes we've observed during that time.

      This phenomenon is also a significant reason behind the scarcity of small trucks and helps illuminate how the Ford Maverick and Santa Cruz emerged. They were built on existing compact platforms featuring tested, efficient small engines, but their larger sizes allowed them a permissible decrease in efficiency compared to the sedan, hatchback, and crossover versions built on the same basic architectures—and the Maverick still required a hybrid to ensure compliance with future targets.

      Want further proof? The footprint model was activated in 2010. Check when the Ford Ranger, Ford Explorer SportTrac, and Dodge Dakota were phased out. Just coincidences? Hardly.

      Until recently, the targets for small light trucks exceeding 40 mpg made production in the U.S. prohibitively expensive, especially for import manufacturers also facing the Chicken Tax. While that situation persists (tariff barriers have actually increased for some manufacturers recently), the former is currently a non-issue. Under the present administration, CAFE regulations are as enforceable as the Pirate’s Code, and the EPA is reverting to a more conservative schedule for U.S. emissions and fuel efficiency benchmarks.

      Could electric vehicles be the next step for small trucks? Ford appears to think so. Meanwhile, Ram seems prepared to exploit the existing gaps in CAFE enforcement to introduce the Rampage in the U.S. by the end of